Tormented Kitchen

I found the recipe! It was saved on the big EHD at home so I didn't have to retype everything that was already typed. Thanks goodness. I also found my crepe recipe so that will be coming soon too. I realized that since this contains almonds, even though it's not "health food" it is somewhat healthy. According to SuperFoods Rx by Steven Pratt, nuts and seeds are very good for your health. In any dose, they benefit cardiovascular health. And that is one of my concerns. Heart problems run in my family so any help is help. Some notes on preparation: I use my Kitchen-aid stand mixer to beat the egg whites. A hand-held mixer will do the job just fine, but with two little ones, I need my hands free most of the time to hold them. Ingredients: 3 large egg whites 1 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar ½ c. all purpose flour 1/3 cup finely ground, blanched almonds (no skins) 6 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 T. honey Method: 1. Preheat oven to 400F. Butter 2 ...

This is so tasty. I got Justin to make it for dinner the other day since he had the day off and had time to devote to cooking. I got this Eastern European recipe from my mom. Who knows where she got it from. I forgot to take the picture before slicing it up when the roast was whole and so tender it was falling apart. It was a beautiful sight. The combination of pork and apples really compliment each other. This is nice and sweet without being overpowering. We used Granny Smith apples. I didn't want to use some of the softer-fleshed varieties because they basically disintegrate in the pot. Ingredients: 1 pork shoulder or sirloin roast, about 2 lbs 2 tablespoons oil 5 cups apple juice or cider 3 tablespoons beef bouillon 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon black pepper 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks 3 carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch chunks 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges 1 medium onion, sliced into wedges cornstarch Method: 1. B...

Starbucks. I have mixed feelings about them. Sometimes they are good, sometimes really good, then occasionally they are so-so. It depends on your barrista and how fresh the baked goods are. Since all Starbucks bakery goods here are shipped from Southern California, the freshness can really vary. There was a stretch over summertime that I craved their lemon loaf and the closest café was always out. Then one day they weren’t out, but it was kinda stale. After much recipe research, I have hit upon one good enough to share. I have tweaked it a bit. I added lemon zest to mine. I was also concerned about how much the center would fall. Being at “High altitude” of 4400 feet above sea level, things usually cave in the middle unless you adjust things. This one still caved a little, but not as much as usual. It was still a hit for Sunday breakfast with both Justin and Eric. I overmixed it a bit so the texture was more like my Madeleines and the flavor of fresh eggs was noticeable. The icin...

This isn't really a recipe, it's more of a cute kid thing. Eric has decided he likes toast a lot, mostly because he can make it with limited adult help. Adult instructions are in parenthesis. Ingredients: 2 slices of bread, preferably white (Eric's favorite) real butter strawberry jam Method: (Take bread out of package and hand to Eric. Eric will adjust the toaster settings himself and place bread into the slots.) Toast bread in toaster until desired toastiness. (Remove hot toast from toaster and place on a plate. Hold so Eric can spread toppings easily.) Spread about 1 tablespoon of butter on each slice of toast. Spread about 1 tablespoon of jam on each slice. (Put away butter and jam.) Assemble into a sandwich or eat separately and enjoy!

Food. Ah, food. I've had a weird relationship with you lately. Some days nothing sounds good, but I know we all need to eat. I'm tired of eggs. We've had way too much food with eggs. Breakfast burritos, egg salad sandwiches, fried egg sandwiches, omelets, quiches, frittata. BLEH. Today I'm sharing my recipe for quesadillas. I got creative with the sauce and placed layered, thin slices of avocado on top. Eric had fun dabbing the sauce on top of his wedges. It was cute when he'd take a bite and go "Spicy!" and then dig in. Eric actually likes spicy food! Ingredients: flour tortillas, 2 per person (1 for a kiddo) shredded cheese, either cheddar or a Mexican blend sour cream salsa avocado oil other optional items: leftover shredded or chopped meat, onion, cilantro, refried beans Method: 1. Heat a skillet over high heat. Add about 1 tsp of oil to the pan. When hot, place one tortilla in the pan. Immediately top with shredded cheese and other optional ingredien...

Waffles. I love them. I love anything that is soaked in maple syrup. I've been using this recipe for years to rave reviews. A note to ensure puffiness: Make sure your baking powder is fresh and that you beat the wet ingredients separately before adding to the dry ingredients. This keeps them from going flat. Ingredients:   2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup milk 1 cup water 3 Tablespoons sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 Tablespoon oil Pinch salt Nonstick cooking spray Method: 1. Preheat waffle iron. 2. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Blend water, milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry and blend until lumpy. Add oil and mix until mostly smooth. 3. Spray iron with nonstick spray and use about ½ cup of batter per waffle. The exact amount will vary depending on the depth of the waffle wells. 4. Cook about 4 minutes, but this can also vary depending on your iron. I usually go by smell. When they start to s...

I know there are plenty of Olive Garden fans out there, my dad being one of them. I have tried and tweaked and come up with my own clone version of O.G.'s Zuppa Toscana. It's good. And not just because I said so. Many other people have agreed. A lllooooonnnnggg time ago, I took a pot to a Mary Kay dinner and everyone loved it. Yes, I was a Mary Kay lady. But that is its own story so back to the soup. The highlight of my soup is using homemade sausage. Justin's family has a sausage recipe and I've had the honor of making it. It is a traditional Italian sausage in the Northern Italian style i.e. no fennel. I've seen similar recipes listed on recipe sites, but they are usually considered French. I doubt anyone is ambitious enough to want to make homemade sausage, so I will not bother posting it. I will say making it is very labor-intensive. It took most of a day to grind, mix, and stuff the casings, then another couple days in the fridge for the sausages to dry cur...